Unit 3: Social Cognition

Question 1

Social Cognition

Answer 1

refers to all the processes of perception, interpretation, belief, and meaning with which we evaluate and understand ourselves and other people

Question 2

Primacy Effect

Answer 2

a tendency for the first information we receive about others to carry special weight, along with our instant impressions and our stereotypes, in shaping our overall impressions of them

Question 3

Confirmation Bias

Answer 3

they seek information that will prove them right more often than they look for examples that would prove them wrong

Question 4

Overconfidence

Answer 4

thinking that we’re more accurate than we really are and making more mistakes than we realize

Question 5

Positive Illusions

Answer 5

a mix of realistic knowledge about our partners and idealized perceptions of them

Question 6

Attributions

Answer 6

identifies the causes of an event, emphasizing the impact of some influences and minimizing the role of others

Question 7

Actor/Observer Effect

Answer 7

they generate different explanations for their own behavior than they do for similar things they see their partners do

Question 8

Self-Serving Biases

Answer 8

people readily take credit for their successes but try to avoid the blame for their failures

Question 9

Reconstructive Memory

Answer 9

the manner in which our memories are continually revised and rewritten as new information is obtained

Question 10

Marital Paradigms

Answer 10

broad assumptions about whether, when, and under what circumstances we should marry that are accompanied by beliefs about what it’s like to be married

Question 11

Destiny Beliefs

Answer 11

assumptions that two people are either well suited for each other and destined to live happily ever after, or they’re not

Question 12

Growth Beliefs

Answer 12

good relationships are believed to develop gradually as the partners work at surmounting challenges and overcoming obstacles, and a basic presumption is that with enough effort, almost any relationship can succeed

Question 13

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

Answer 13

false predictions that become true become true because they lead people to behave in ways that make the erroneous expectations come true

Question 14

Self-Concepts

Answer 14

encompasses all of the beliefs and feelings we have about ourselves

Question 15

Self-Enhancement

Answer 15

the desire for positive, complimentary feedback

Question 16

Self-Verification

Answer 16

the desire for feedback that is consistent with one’s existing self-concept

Question 17

Implicit Attitudes

Answer 17

the unintentional and automatic associations in our judgments that are evident when our partners come to mind

Question 18

Transference

Answer 18

the process of old feelings can be “transferred” to new partners, influencing our behavior and our implicit attitudes toward them, when those new partners subtly remind us of significant others from our past

Question 19

Impression Management

Answer 19

trying to influence the impressions of us that others form

Question 20

Ingratiation

Answer 20

when we week acceptance and liking from others, we do favors, pay compliments, mention areas of agreement, and are generally charming to get others to like us

Question 21

Self-Promotion

Answer 21

recounting our accomplishments or strategically arranging public demonstrations of our skills

Question 22

Intimidation

Answer 22

people portray themselves as ruthless, dangerous, and menacing so that others will do their bidding

Question 23

Supplication

Answer 23

people sometimes present themselves as inept or infirm to avoid obligations and to elicit help and support from others

Question 24

Self-Monitoring

Answer 24

people readily adjust their behavior to fit the varying norms of different situations

Question 25

Emotional Intelligence

Answer 25

a set of abilities that describes a person’s talents in perceiving, using, understanding, and managing emotions